We are asking local restaurants in Brighton & Hove to add a voluntary £1 contribution to diners’ bills during the festive season. This simple act could help the Community Kitchen to support hundreds of local children to learn to cook healthy, tasty food in a supportive environment.
Every pound donated will go directly to the Recipe for Life Campaign, which will also be supported by longstanding community food leaders, the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership. To sign-up or find out more please email us.
What is the Recipe for Life campaign?
We are raising funds for cookery sessions for local primary school children. Many schools no longer have cookery facilities to teach these vital life skills, and with budgets squeezed ever tighter, many families lack time & money to experiment with new ingredients & recipes. Schools invited to attend the sessions all have high numbers of pupils on free school meals.
We find that leaving the school environment and learning from our skilled cooks can support children to try new foods and grow in confidence & independence – especially meaningful for children with neurodiversity, anxiety and others who may struggle in the classroom.
Children also take what they have learned back home – practicing the recipes, honing their new skills and sharing the joy of cooking together with the whole family.
With the support of restaurants & festive diners across the city this winter, we believe we can reach our goal to teach 250 local children next year.
If we meet our target for cookery sessions, we will be able to add farm & community garden visits for the children – sharing new flavours & knowledge about how food is grown with the next generation.
“An amazing place. Very enjoyable! I learnt lots of new cooking skills, tasted different types of food, learnt about science and even forgot it was a school day.”
How can restaurants get involved?
Participating restaurants will be listed on this webpage and promoted via the @btnkitchen social media channels. We can provide blurb for menus, business cards with campaign info to give out to your diners, and bank details for you to transfer your donations. You can add the £1 donation to each bill, or to a particular dish that diners choose from your menu.
Next year when schools attend the Kitchen we will be able to share photos, stories & even host visits from our biggest supporters.
More details:
- Customer feedback: The £1 donation is voluntary and can easily be removed from the bill upon request. Similar campaigns have found that customers rarely object; in fact, less than 1% decline to participate, and many request that more than £1 be added to the bill.
- Administration: Electronic tills should be able to record donations, so your admin time is minimal. Please just collect the total amount at the end of each month or at the end of December and pass it on to us via bank transfer.
- Restaurant staff and tips: It’s quick and easy for staff to operate, and we know many welcome the chance to do something for the local community. Most restaurants find that these donation campaigns have no effect on the level of tipping.
- VAT: The £1 donation should be added to the bill after any service charge and VAT, and so should not affect your VAT returns.
- To sign-up or find out more please email us.
“When our Year Five children… cook with the Community Kitchen team, they’re not just learning recipes and important life skills — they’re discovering confidence, teamwork and the joy of creating something that brings the class together.”
Support the campaign
Anyone can make a donation, or share the campaign to help us reach more supporters. Sign-up for updates when you donate, or follow along on social media @btnkitchen to see updates as the campaign develops & more schools visit the Kitchen.
Thank you for your support.
“As chefs, we know that learning to cook is about so much more than following a recipe. It’s about building confidence, curiosity and a lifelong connection with good food. Every child deserves the chance to discover that for themselves – and have fun in the process!
That’s why I’m proud to support the Recipe for Life campaign. It’s a simple gesture that can have a lasting impact — for children, their families and our community.”
– Chef Kanthi, The Spice Circuit Kitchen, Hove
